Taxi fare stays the same, despite petrol price rise

There will be no increase in taxi fares, despite the massive fuel price hike that came into effect on 7 April 2021, Sagaria Mpedi (53), chairperson of Greater Potch Taxi Association, confirmed.

“At this moment I am certainly sure that there is no way we are going to increase taxi fares. In the past we used to increase the prices during the festive season. It takes a year or two before we can increase the prices, that is how we operate when deciding on price increase,” Mpedi said.

Tito Mboweni, Minister of Finance, announced in his 2021 budget speech that fuel levies would be increased by 27 cents per litre. This is comprised of 15 cents per litre for the general fuel levy, 11 cents per litre for the Road Accident Fund levy and one cent per litre for the carbon fuel levy. 

In a statement on  the Parliament website, Sahlulele Luzip, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, appealed to all sectors of the economy not to increase prices as it could place a burden on the working class and the poor.

Lintle Makapela (22), a pharmacy student at the North-West University’s (NWU) Potchefstroom campus, said, “as a student who depends on taxis as a transport mode, I am happy to hear that there won’t be any increases. During lockdown they increased their prices and it was a huge adjustment for me to make.”

NWU BSc urban and regional planning student, Thato Tlhole (21) said he is delighted and thrilled to see this kind of behaviour from the taxi industry. “I am glad that they are considerate of the current state of the economy that has taken a financial strain on people’s finances. Keeping their prices the same will allow students to travel conveniently and safely without having to sacrifice their safety because of high transport costs.”